The White House said it would leave the decision to fire Mr McCabe (right) to Mr Sessions (left) photo: GETTY IMAGES

Although the decision to fire Mr McCabe was made by Mr Sessions, Mr Trump had criticised him for months.

He has publicly pointed to donations that Mr McCabe’s wife, a Democrat, received from a Clinton ally when she ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate in 2015 as evidence that Mr McCabe was politically biased.

In December Mr Trump tweeted: “FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!”

He welcomed the news of his dismissal almost immediately after Mr Sessions announced it, calling the move a “great day for democracy”.

Mr Trump’s tweet about the firing provoked an angry response from former CIA director John Brennan, who implied Mr McCabe was being made a scapegoat.

What could the memos say?

News that Mr McCabe had kept records of his conversations with Mr Trump and FBI Director at the time James Comey emerged on Saturday.

US media say the memos will support Mr Comey’s account of the circumstances of his dismissal last May.

Mr Comey has testified that Mr Trump had asked him for his “loyalty” and requested he drop an inquiry into his former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

He too has said he kept contemporaneous notes of his dealings with the president.